There are benefits to believing in God
The Empress' dissatisfaction with the portrait was merely a minor piece of gossip. Amidst the swirling affairs of the imperial court and the imperial household, this incident was unnoticeable. However, to those with connections and a keen eye, it became a major event. Thus, some, through various connections, sought to secure the commission, "striving to paint a portrait that would satisfy Her Majesty."
Shujia asked Dong E in surprise, "Do you know any Western painters?"
This Dong E was actually the sister of the Third Lady and the wife of Fu Erchen. Shu Jia vaguely knew that there were religious people in her in-laws' family, but she never expected it to be such a coincidence.
Seeing Shujia seemed interested, Dong E became even more excited. "That's right. There are quite a few religious people in my family, and I know a few Westerners. Actually, Westerners do things the same way we do here—the more successful they are, the more timid they become. On the other hand, those who are free and easy often bring unexpected surprises."
The Third Lady chimed in with her sister, "That's quite true. Not seeking merit, but avoiding error, isn't that just mediocre skill? It lacks craftsmanship."
Shujia didn't agree immediately: "Tell them to try to draw a few paintings first, and then I'll take a look at them and make a decision."
Dong E was overjoyed: "Yes."
The Dong E sisters left the Summer Resort and went to Yunzhi's garden together. Arriving at the main room of the Third Lady, the sisters each had a cup of tea and sat down to talk. The Third Lady asked, "Will this thing you mentioned be successful?"
Dong E said, "Those Westerners are quite talented. You've seen their paintings. They're quite good. Didn't my brother-in-law say they were good?"
The Third Lady said, "That's good. You must teach them the customs of the Westerners."
"Don't worry."
The sisters all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces filled with satisfaction.
The Aisin-Gioro family has grown to a very large size. It is so large that the emperor and empress can no longer recognize all of Nurhar's descendants and his wives and concubines. It is so large that the country can no longer give high positions and generous salaries to everyone. Many relatives only have one more yellow belt than ordinary bannermen.
With such a large population, competition is inevitable: a fight for a chance to show off, a fight for decent treatment.
Even close relatives like the Yunzhi clan needed to constantly strengthen their presence. For example, they could take on an errand, or establish a good relationship with the empress. If, if there were people around the emperor and empress that they had recommended, that would also be a helping hand, right?
The Third Lady was more optimistic about her sister's in-laws. The missionary's good relationship with the Sunu family was also beneficial to her side. As the recommender, she had merit and had face with the Queen. It also served as a good deal for the Sunu family, so there was no loss in the deal.
Dong E was also happy. Her husband was the son of Sunu's second wife, and only after passing the examination could he become a third-class general. The prospects were really not optimistic, so she needed to make various efforts.
Among the vast Jurchen population, there were also some talented individuals. For example, Sunu was a descendant of Chu Ying, a lineage that could not be more legitimate, dating back to Nurhaci. Unfortunately, Chu Ying, the eldest legitimate son, committed a crime and was personally convicted by Nurhaci. His descendants certainly could not have achieved great success. Not to mention the lineage of Huang Taiji, who became emperor, even the lineage of his half-brother Daishan could not compare.
Perhaps it was precisely this stark contrast that led to the emergence of many ambitious individuals within the Chu Ying lineage. Some sought to flatter the emperor, while others, like Sunu, worked diligently. He served in the Imperial Clan Court, participated in the compilation of the Imperial Records, accompanied Emperor Kangxi on three campaigns against Galdan, and later served as General of Shengjing, completing each of his tasks with considerable distinction. Now, as a minister of state, he also performed his duties with remarkable efficiency.
Sunu's efforts paid off, and his personal title was promoted to Beizi. Compared with the vast majority of people in the Chu Ying lineage, it was much better than that.
Historically, this man was against Yongzheng and a die-hard member of the Eight Princes Party. The people around him did some shady things. However, at present, he is just an extremely ambitious member of the royal family.
He had to make progress! Sunu had four successive wives, and he also had many concubines. These women gave birth to thirteen sons alone. What a huge family! After all, he was a descendant of Nurhaci's eldest son. He felt ashamed of living such a poor life. He had to work hard!
Frankly speaking, the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns treated Sunu's family well. Shunzhi granted Sunu a relatively high title, otherwise, given his non-hereditary inheritance, his rank would have been much lower. Kangxi, on the other hand, recognized Sunu's talent and assigned him tasks. Because he performed these tasks well, he was promoted to Beizi. Furthermore, Sunu's sons married attractive wives.
Who would think they were living too well? And he had thirteen sons! Only one could inherit the title, and he had to lower his rank. The other sons had to pass exams to get even lower titles. By the time the grandchildren came around, many of them would have become idle members of the royal family!
We can't help but be anxious!
There is no point in being anxious, you still have to cling to the emperor's thigh.
Historically, Sunu's strategy was to cling to the Emperor Kangxi, who was responsible, while also currying favor with Yunsi, whom he favored and believed might become the next emperor. He did the former very well, but the latter was a miscalculation, and ultimately, he had no one else to blame.
Now that Yinreng was doing well, it saved the royal family, relatives, and ministers a lot of trouble, and everyone just had to follow the emperor. Many families were thus spared from being caught up in the vortex of the struggle for the throne, preserving their own family property and life.
The Sunu clan had nothing more to speculate about, so they simply followed the emperor. By currying favor with the emperor, and then pleasing the empress and the crown prince, their foundation gradually developed over three dynasties, becoming a relatively stable clan among the imperial clans.
With this in mind, Sunu took his duties seriously, and the women in his family naturally worked hard to build good relationships with the palace. Even more coincidentally, two of Sunu's daughters-in-law had extremely convenient conditions: the seventh son, Leqin's legitimate wife, Dong'e, was the daughter of the Seventh Duke and a sister of the Ninth Consort; and the ninth son, Fuerchen's legitimate wife, Dong'e, was the daughter of Yongqin Gong Pengchun and a sister of the Third Consort.
Even more coincidentally, of Sunu's thirteen sons, twelve are still alive today, each married and having children. Well, that's beside the point; the point is that, of these twelve, more than half are Catholics. It's hard to say whether this stems from a desperate need and a difficult road ahead, requiring spiritual sustenance.
Anyway, Sunu's house is probably one of the places with the highest density of believers besides the church.
They believed in religion, of course, because someone had preached to them. They were so devout that missionaries naturally tried hard to come to their home. First, Sunu's sons were devout Catholics, and then, under the guidance of the doctrine and the lobbying of the missionaries, they tried their best to persuade Sunu to convert as well.
Sunu, who had more life experience than his sons, was quite fond of Catholicism and thought some of its teachings were sound. However, he still felt that converting to Catholicism was not a good idea and even scolded his sons: "You're jumping around so much! How can you be so unruly?"
Religious fanatics have a negative rationality index. Sunu's sons not only refused to listen, but also allowed the missionaries to give them Christian names! Sunu was unhappy. Nima, missionaries had to take Chinese names before traveling to China, but his sons, the royal family and nobles, took foreign names and were proud of it!
After the scolding, the sons became more obedient, and Sunu's attitude towards the missionaries also softened, and a delicate balance was reached between father and son. Knowing that their father had no ill will towards Catholicism, the sons continued to persuade Sunu, seizing every opportunity to convert their father to the church.
With Sunu's tacit approval, his sons became more devout to God, and even his daughters-in-law learned some of the doctrine. At the same time, Sunu's family also had close ties with Catholic missionaries.
Dedicated missionaries worked hard to cultivate good relationships with the Sunu family, attempting to recruit them as members and thereby expand their influence. In the early Qing Dynasty, missionaries enjoyed a very favorable environment. For example, even someone with less than ideal moral character, Nan Huairen, rose to prominence and even seized the opportunity to frame Dai Zi, a local official serving in the Southern Study, for exile. While this was certainly due to power struggles within the imperial court, it also reflected the status of missionaries.
However, one should not be afraid of godlike opponents, but of pig-like teammates. The missionaries' pig-like teammate, the Pope, for some reason, sent people to argue with Kangxi about etiquette. This made the emperor so angry that he almost lost everyone's job!
Originally, missionaries' primary job was to spread the gospel of Christ, with painting, mathematics, medicine, and other pursuits purely as personal interests. Now, if you don't have a side hustle, no one wants you! Missionaries are helpless against the Pope. Even if you want to steal something, you'd have to trick your way into the house first, right? You run to the door and yell, "Serious! Serious! This is robbery!" It's a wonder they'll even open the door for you.
Arrogance requires the right foundation. If you could kick down someone's door, you could yell. The problem is, you don't have that ability now. The promulgation of the Kangxi decree dealt a severe blow to missionary activities in China.
The chief missionary who came into contact with the Sunu family was Badoumin, who had arrived in China relatively early. After the Kangxi decree was issued, he was able to remain in China because of his good behavior and the protection of the Sunu family. This further solidified the idea among the missionaries of "taking the upper echelons."
Look, the emperor was high-ranking enough, and if he got upset, missionary activity would immediately enter an ice age. Sunu was considered a noble, and his family was willing to provide convenience, so missionaries who knew him well lived well. Then there was Mu Jingyuan (a missionary with a Chinese name), who, thanks to Beizi Yunlu, also lived a very comfortable life.
Hearing that the Queen was dissatisfied with the Western painters, Badomin and the others became excited. "We have people who can paint here!" They'd definitely flatter the Queen, making her want to paint a second one after painting one. Painting requires direct contact with the artist, so this would be an opportunity to persuade the Queen to convert.
The idea is a good one, and it's not impossible to realize it. Remember, Empress Xiaozhuang even wore a cross inside her clothes for a while. It's said that this was done thanks to a great favor from Johann Adam Schall von Bell, who was a truly good person. This touched Emperor Shunzhi, who then provided him with many conveniences.
Given the precedent, who can say that today's missionaries cannot go further than their predecessors?
On the one hand, the Queen had this need, and on the other hand, the missionaries learned of this opportunity during conversations with fellow believers and wanted to seize it.
Why wouldn't Forson and others do the same?
Developing believers is the natural mission of church members!
Fuerchen waited without discussing it with Sunu. He first told his wife, and his wife told the Third Lady, and then they investigated and recommended him to the Queen.
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Shujia wasn't averse to missionaries. In this environment, a time traveler's primary concern was how to spread Western learning to the East, opening the eyes of this increasingly isolated nation to the world. The fact that Dai Zi was crafting muskets naturally sparked some of her thoughts.
Promoting exchanges between the East and the West and liberating the minds of the Chinese people is not necessarily a bad thing.
Even a missionary, no matter how monk-like, was still a man. Shujia had to ask Yinreng to let a strange man in and out of the palace. Dong E's explanation was a good one; those unconventional men invited from outside the palace were less restrained and might even have a flash of inspiration.
Yinreng, after looking at the portrait that Forchen had brought in, thought it was quite good. It depicted a middle-aged man named Sunu. The figure, leisurely balancing a ruyi on his chin and slightly tilted to one side on the couch, was quite interesting.
Upon receiving this great news, Badomin and the others were eager to get started, constantly reciting the audience procedures. How should they approach the audience? What should they say to the Empress while painting? How should they catch her interest? Should they start with some Bible stories or overseas anecdotes, then gradually introduce the main topic? What are the Empress's interests? How can they guide her from her concerns to her acceptance of Catholicism?
The missionaries rehearsed for a long time, but received no further notice, leaving them extremely anxious. Unable to resist inquiring about the situation, Forchen's third brother, John Sulkin, was also anxious, but also wanted to comfort his fellow believers: "The Master and His Majesty have many things to do with the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Emperor will lead the people on a hunting expedition, and then they will prepare to return to the capital. Back in the capital, there's the eldest princess's wedding, and the Empress Dowager's birthday in October. I'm afraid your audience won't be until the end of October."
Badomin: “…”
In fact, the missionaries had the opportunity to meet the queen after returning to Beijing.
The queen was in a good mood at the time. Her son and daughter were about to get married, and the wedding preparations were almost complete. She called Hongdan and said, "You have grown up. Really? I still remember clearly the time when I married into the Yuqing Palace. Now you are going to get married."
Hongdan smiled shyly.
Shujia beckoned, and Hongdan glanced at his mother in confusion before obediently stepping forward and leaning in. His mother said, "Your brothers have grown up now, and there are some things that it's not good to have palace maids and eunuchs teach them. As their older brother, you should give them some pointers."
"Huh?"
"What are you talking about?" Shujia smacked her son on the head in annoyance. "You were raised by your Mafa, and when you grew up, you lived with your father. Ahem, matters between men and women should be handled by the father, uh, son, and by the mother for daughters. So I didn't care about you. Uh, your father is so busy now, and I think he, uh, wouldn't want to tell your brothers about this. As the older brother, shouldn't you take some responsibility?"
"Ah? This, this, how can you say this?" Damn it! Brothers can talk nonsense in private, but they can never admit it in front of their mother!
Shujia put her hand on her son's collar and said, "When the melon is ripe, it will fall off the vine. This is the law of nature." Then she explained the rationality of the behavior and how it did not conflict with etiquette and laws.
This wasn't about Hongdan teaching his younger brother; it was clearly Shujia's concern for her son's understanding of the situation. He had matured during his grandfather's mourning period, and while filial piety and righteousness were a natural human response, Shujia still worried that her son, despite his excessive reading of sage texts, wouldn't be able to adapt.
I don’t know how much Hongdan understood his mother’s “hard work”, but it is true that his pace became much lighter when he left.
The queen was in a good mood and not too worried about anything, so she thought about the portrait again.
The missionaries were not treated very well this time. They were received by Hongdan and then sent by eunuchs to Kunning Palace.
Although they didn't meet the emperor, they were fortunate enough to encounter the empress in a good mood, and the missionaries were eager to show off. Having previously learned the rules of court painting and the reason for the empress's anger, they adopted a double-panel painting technique. They painted a frontal view, then asked the empress to slightly tilt her body and head, and then painted a second view that would reveal the lines of the side profile.
On the first day, two sketches were drawn, and Shujia was quite satisfied with them.
The missionary held his breath until the queen nodded, then he slowly let out a breath and made a request: Could he draw more drafts based on the model (the queen herself) in the next period of time, so that the paintings could be closer to the queen's spirit.
Shujia, who was sitting idle, nodded in agreement, "Okay." She then asked them to keep the draft so she could show it to Yinreng. The missionary, beaming with joy, happily agreed. By establishing a connection with the Empress, he hoped to influence the Emperor through her, ultimately loosening the Qing court's policy toward the church.
Oriental facial features are not very three-dimensional. Even faces drawn with perspective do not appear to be very three-dimensional. If the face is slightly tilted, the effect will be different. Yinreng praised it and said, "Tell them to paint carefully. If they do well, I will reward them~" and he was inspired to paint a picture himself.
Starting from the next day, several missionaries came to Kunning Palace regularly in the afternoon. They could only stay here for half an hour, but they made full use of this time.
Shujia listened with great interest as the missionary chatted with her, telling stories from the Bible, the topic of conversation sparked by the portrait. Shujia, a masterful sitter, could remain motionless and still engage in conversation. She asked the missionary, "My daughter is still young, and I'd like to have a small portrait of her. After you've done this one, could you do another? Uh, a portrait of us... mother and daughter... together. Is that possible?"
"Your Majesty, of course you can," the missionary thought he was being asked if he could take a group photo, so he quickly assured him. Then he took the opportunity to say, "Not only mother and daughter, but also mother and child are possible. Many statues of the Virgin Mary show the Virgin Mary holding the Child..."
Now I've found the starting point! The missionary then went on to talk non-stop, recounting Bible stories and expounding on simple doctrines. Shujia, who had only a superficial understanding of Catholicism, was now filled with curiosity, hearing so much she hadn't previously known. She listened intently, even the palace maids and eunuchs were captivated by the stories.
The missionary was excited, occasionally adding a few strokes to the canvas. The paintings he was painting here were the result of countless rethinking, and even if he was distracted and talking, he could still guarantee a certain level of quality. While the two were discussing this, Yinreng arrived.
The missionary witnessed a scene that inspired him.
The emperor nodded to everything the empress said. From the princess's wedding to the crown prince's, to the empress's request to replace the maids in the emperor's palace (actually, they were being sent home due to age). And when the emperor proposed to promote the empress's uncle, and the empress rejected his proposal, the emperor remained unmoved. In the missionary's view, the emperor's refusal to accept the promotion was a sure sign of progress.
That’s great! I knew the emperor and empress had a good relationship, but I didn’t expect it to be this good!
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The missionary returned to his residence in excitement and discussed with his colleagues.
"The Queen's influence on the Emperor is obvious. If we can get the Queen to convert, then under her influence, the Emperor must convert. Then, we, we..." He was so excited that he couldn't speak.
Badomin was silent for a moment, then asked, "How can we persuade the Queen to convert?"
This is really a difficult problem!
"The Queen is very interested in the teachings I have given..."
“Prince Sunu is also very interested in the teachings.”
"Well……"
The missionaries were quite skilled. They held a brief meeting and nailed down a key point: As everyone knows, Catholicism advocates monogamy and strictly forbids divorce! Not only is the saying "a good horse doesn't need two saddles, a good woman doesn't serve two men" true, but Catholic doctrine also applies to husbands. Even if your wife can't bear a son, you're not allowed to divorce!
By the way, this rule irritated a British king who wanted a son but his wife refused to give birth, and the Pope refused to allow him a divorce. The king got angry and refused to get along with the Pope. He launched the Reformation and became the leader of the church himself: "You don't grant me a divorce? I don't care. I'll grant it myself!"
Catholicism in Britain never recovered from this.
pope:……
Well, this king is Queen Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII.
"As the empress of a country where mistresses are also considered legal wives, is she worried about her marriage? The emperor's grandfather once deposed his own wife. And from all indications, the empress doesn't want anyone to share her husband."
The missionaries were very excited because they thought they had found the right breakthrough.
Having lived in China for many years and despite being accustomed to many unhealthy local customs, the missionaries still held fast to their principles. They also believed that their analysis of the Queen's psychology was spot-on and would surely convince her.
Badomin said: "My dear brother, you still have to be cautious."
The missionary had recently reminded her of a past life, a time when she'd gone to a barbershop and the barber would talk to her while cutting her hair. Perhaps he was just trying to get close to her; as the queen, there were so many people seeking attention. Shujia considered herself quite open-minded and expressed goodwill.
Finally one day, the main topic came.
"His Majesty the Emperor was very kind to me. When I returned, I told my fellow believers, and they were all very envious."
"Really?" Shujia was very happy when someone praised her husband.
"Yes, everyone is wondering if His Majesty the Emperor is... the legendary King John the Elder."
"Oh? What's this story?"
"Your Majesty, this is not a story," the missionary recounted. According to Western legend, in the East, there lived a pious and powerful Christian king. At the time, Western Europe was being utterly oppressed by the fierce Ottoman Turks. Clinging to any straw, they hoped to find a way out, hoping to contact the king and join forces to attack the pagan nation of Turkey.
After hearing what he said, Shujia felt unhappy!
It's true that my knowledge of Catholicism was enough to earn Yinreng's disdain, but I didn't just doze off through World History. She hadn't heard of King John the Elder, but she knew about the Christian kingdoms around Jerusalem that were brutally occupied by pagan nations as described by missionaries.
It was established during the Crusades, which were initiated by the Vatican. The Crusades were a complete and utter act of hypocrisy. The Crusades went on eight times over two hundred years, and the fourth one sacked the Byzantine Empire. And the Byzantine Empire was by no means a pagan state!
Shujia became alert. Somehow, she remembered that the excuse France used during the Second Opium War was the "Father Ma Incident." That priest was really not a good person!
The next day, the missionary continued with the previous topic, praising Yinreng's virtues, saying that he was just like a Catholic: "Only the marriage is slightly different." He was waiting for the Queen to ask a question. This was a fishing post.
Shujia patiently replied, "Oh?"
The missionary smiled slightly, with the air of a great monk: "Catholicism is strictly monogamous."
The implication is quite obvious between the lines.
The author has something to say:
In a letter sent back to Europe, Jesuit missionary Badouin not only referred to Sunu as a prince, but also to all of Sunu's sons. I haven't seen the original, and if it weren't written in English, I certainly wouldn't understand it. However, I imagine this "prince" was a general term similar to "PRINCE."
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